Day three of the Olympics, and there are concerns about empty seats at events, yet the organizing committee said it has reached its revenue target for sales.

CCTV America’s Joel Richards has more from Rio.

Underwhelming ticket sales leave empty seats at Rio Olympics

Underwhelming ticket sales leave empty seats at Rio Olympics

Day three of the Olympics, and there are concerns about empty seats at events, yet the organizing committee said it has reached its revenue target for sales. CCTV America’s Joel Richards has more from Rio.

Few sports will provide a more iconic postcard image of the Rio Olympics than beach volleyball on Copacabana Beach. And it can draw spectators.

But when the competition began over the weekend for some inside sports, many seats were empty. That’s because outside there were long lines.

In addition to working out the kinks especially for those who have tickets, organizers say sales were slow in the build-up to the Games.

Over the weekend, more than 150,000 spectators were at the Olympic park. Here, on day three, as you can see, it’s much quieter. As of Monday morning, organizers say 84 percent of all tickets have now been sold.

The Olympic Committee announced it has reached its revenue target for ticket sales at $323 million.

Some Brazilians buying tickets at the beach say the prices for the Olympic Games are fair.

At 40 reais, about $13, those are the cheaper seats. Yet organizers have backtracked on a pledge not to give tickets away.

They said they will now hand out nearly a quarter million tickets to schoolchildren to watch slower selling sports like golf and rugby in an attempt to avoid more shots of empty seats on television.

Erich Beting on Olympics ticket sales in Rio

To find out just how important Olympics ticket sales are for Brazil’s economy, CCTV America’s Rachelle Akuffo spoke to Erich Beting in Rio. He is a Director of Maquina do Esporte.